Mating parts with path mates

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The path mate accessory is a valuable tool within SOLIDWORKS that allows you to view what specific parts of your assembly will do when you require advanced motion. This online tutorial will illustrate how to use this tool to view the motion of the parts that will move along the paths within your assembly.

…The Path Mate is very handy when you want to move…a part through a specific path, or sketch on another part.…The most common method would be to draw…a sketch, defining what your path is going to…be, and then add a point to another part that'll be used to drag along that path.…To get started, I'll just point out a couple…of the items we have set up already here.…First things first, what I want to do is I want to create a mate…between the bottom of this part here, and the top of this part here.…Now, this part has the ability to move around anywhere on that top surface.…What I have drawn on the top here is a sketch, just a spline.…

So I open up that part, I can take a look at the sketch.…And it's just a standard sketch, spline.…On that top surface.…Go ahead and exit out and jump back over to the assembly.…Go ahead and rebuild.…Now, this part here, what I need to do is have some type of…a point that will be on the bottom of the part that I can link to that path.…So if I open up this part here, what I did is I created a…

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Released

12/9/2013

SOLIDWORKS is the world leader in 3D software for product development and design. Start creating manufacturing-ready parts and assemblies, as well as detailed drawings and bills of materials. In this course, author Gabriel Corbett shows how to create 2D sketches that will become the basis for your 3D models. You'll use the Extrude and Revolve tools to turn 2D sketches into 3D parts, then create more complex geometry with sweep and lofts. Then learn how to use the cut features to remove material and shape parts, and use mirroring, patterning, and scaling to modify parts. Next, you'll combine parts into movable assemblies and subassemblies. Finally, you'll create accurately annotated drawings, complete with itemized bills of materials that relate the final parts and assemblies to a manufacturer.